RobinsonS

The Every Track Has Been Used In TV Commercials Album

For me, one of the outstanding albums of the 90's was White Zombie's Astro-Creep: 2000. I remember turning up to band practice, I walked in and this album was playing, immediately, I liked it. It was excellent.

The album is great for so many reasons, including; it's musicianship, it's samples, it's originality, it's energy, and it's lyrics. It's lyrics, it's mutha-fluffing lyrics. The lyrics are so well crafted, they sit perfectly into the music. They've got such rhythm. They flow. They're blasphemous. Openly. Intentionally. Unfortunately.

Just to go off on a slight tangent to what I wanted to say, this needs to be said and is in direct response to a true story. No matter what the lyrics say, it was sad to see those using the tag 'Christians' who headed out to a White Zombie concert telling happy people of an eternal damnation that awaits... > > the next day: "Good morning, nice to see you here" "Hi" "I've not seen your face before?" "No, it's my first time in church" "Really, what made you come along this morning" "Well, I was going to see White Zombie last night, and outside, through a megaphone, I heard of "an eternal damnation for those who indulge themselves in this wicked sin", and right there, I heard the Gospel" etc etc. Nobody harasses me going to church, I don't get someone using the tag 'atheist' with a megaphone outside church giving out.

Back to it. Supposing the lyrics to White Zombie's 'Super Charger Heaven' was about flowers and butterflies and frilly pink (Frilly Pink - The record label to sign Bad News, incidentally). It just wouldn't work, it's like Carl McCoy from The Fields Of The Nephilim growling about joyful happiness, or pleasant Sunday afternoon bicycle rides with the family. Now maybe he could direct his growling despair at political behaviour, racism etc, but there are bands that already do this, eg Rage Against The Machine. And anyway, more to the point, he has something to say, and a reason why he's saying it. So for that reason alone I should listen to him. And what about if Mick Hucknall's lyrics were similar to Rob Zombie's? Would I still be writing this?

Now, a lot of bands, especially the metal contingent, have their tongues wedged firmly in their cheeks. A comfortable percentage of my CD collection are of that humorous variety. Spinal Tap and Bad News were a parody of a parody which makes the whole charade that little bit funnier. It's one of the appeals. It's my humour. But to me, humour that mocks my faith isn't funny. Pull my leg, sure, but patronising ill-informed mockery is pointless. In the 80s the PMRC were, in effect, the publicist for many bands. Once parents disapproved, the kids loved the music even more. Bands were accused of being Satanic and some would openly play the Satan card. That's what got them noticed, got the PMRC excited and ultimately, sold more records for the bands. It was like each band were desperately trying to 'out-Satanic' each other. Or out-shock each other. Then there's the backtracking thing...

They may upset people, push boundaries, but again, so what, this sells records. It's really nothing new and these, so called, 'hell-raisers' may end up influencing the music you love. Who'd have imagined the front-man to Led Zeppelin working with Alison Krauss?

Lyrics can be offensive to any particular group at any one time in one way or another. And lyrics often don't really mean a great deal to people. Dedications on the radio are often some love song, which is actually unbelievably inappropriate as the lyrics can be about heartbreak or loss, but they have that emotive melody to be in someway romantic, or simply have 'love' in the title. REM's 'The One I Love' is a classic example of this with it's "a simple prop, to occupy my time" hook. 'Everybody Hurts' is another very popular song. It was used as the charity single for Haiti. But I thought this song was about teenage suicide? There are other songs which maybe would have been more appropriate, but this one sold. Sold lots, and that was the whole point of the single, to raise money. (Personally, I've never been able to understand why some people need something (or anything) in return for giving a few quid to charity, but that's for someone else to blog.)

So, sometimes a vehicle is needed to raise money, ask a question, get a message out, state an opinion...